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Chapter 74
My Dark Past is Too Strong
Cooperation
“…Ugh, my head.”
The moment consciousness returned, a heavy headache tore through my skull, as if someone was scratching at my brain.
My memories of the events before collapsing were hazy.
I barely lifted my eyelids and saw the ceiling of the new house I had moved into.
‘This… is home?’
That meant someone must have moved me here…
Squeeeak—
At that moment, the door opened and a familiar face rushed in.
“Ah! Hyung! You’re awake?!”
It was Insu.
Suddenly, my memories snapped into place.
‘Right, I called Insu just in case…’
Right before my clash with Karmar, I had shared my rooftop location with Insu. It was insurance in case the overload got worse than expected.
‘And he must’ve seen my summons too.’
I let out a wry laugh. I called him under the assumption that my summons wouldn’t descend.
‘Anyway, no one listens properly, huh.’
But then, I noticed another message below, one I hadn’t seen before collapsing.
《All relationships with vampires, including summoned ones on this land, have become “worst.”》
‘Oh, that’s intense.’
The biggest impact: I can’t use “vampire summons”?
But anyway, due to Caligo, unless in special circumstances, vampires can’t be taken as summons. The same applies to Hertia and the others. Maintaining affinity with them requires accepting that risk.
Yet one sentence stood out.
‘…on this land.’
If a low-ranking noble like Karmar was summoned to Earth, that meant higher-ranking nobles could also exist here. And they wouldn’t be unaware of this incident.
‘They’re going to make a move.’
But that’s a problem for later. Right now, the important thing was Insu.
I turned my head to look at him standing by the door.
He hesitated, unsure what to say. He must have had a lot of questions.
‘Actually, this might be perfect timing.’
This wasn’t a problem I could hide forever. Especially since I would soon be active in both the tower and the real world. It was time to create a “collaborator” to share my secrets with.
“Thanks, Insu. You brought me here, right?”
“Yes. When we arrived, you had collapsed… so I carried you right away.”
“You must’ve worked hard.”
His eyes wavered—an expression of disbelief at what he was seeing. Before I could calmly smile and continue speaking, he interrupted me.
“First, go wash up. You should eat first.”
“Huh?”
“You haven’t eaten anything for two days.”
“Two days?”
I’d been out cold for two whole days? The aftereffects of the overload were severe. Operating more than two teams in the field required more caution.
“You didn’t eat for two days… but Hyung, do you work out separately?”
“That’s sudden. Why?”
Insu stepped closer, scanning my body from head to toe.
“Your frame… seems bigger. Seriously.”
Really? I hadn’t been working out—just a bit of early morning jogging, maybe.
‘Now that I think about it, my body does feel thicker.’
Maybe it was because of my passive skill, Remnants of the Morning Star.
Warning! The more power gained, the more the user’s body may change.
Like Marena, I could feel my body changing noticeably.
“…Alright. I’ll wash up and come out soon.”
“Yes!”
After Insu left, I leaned back on the pillow and stared at the ceiling.
‘So, where should I start…’
The awkward tension was palpable. Two grown men sitting in front of a dining table, trying to hide what they wanted to say—it was painfully uncomfortable. At home, I didn’t mind being alone, but this…
…I needed to break this tension quickly.
“Nothing happened while I was asleep, right?”
“Huh? Ah, no… well, something did happen. About a kilometer from where you were, Seon Sung-tae’s body was found. You know him, the guild master of Deathside.”
“Ah…”
“And a foreign criminal’s body, too. Nebel, a famous hunter from Germany.”
So the infamous hunter had been the combatant lying in wait at the clearing.
‘So Seon Sung-tae even used the hunter…?’
He used any means necessary, and in the end, he became Karmar’s blood bag. That man, even in death, had a flair for the dramatic.
“Anything else?”
“Other than that… there was a lot of black blood at the scene. News said there seemed to be a conflict between two forces.”
“Oh-ho.”
It was good that I wasn’t mentioned in the reports. But since this incident happened as soon as I visited the clearing with Lee Jeong-yul, the Tower of Records might still suspect me…
‘Maybe Lee Jeong-yul or Jeon Myung-il intervened.’
While quietly increasing potential collaborators, Insu continued.
“But the community is different.”
“Community? What happened?”
“A strange photo circulated.”
Community and photos—a combination that didn’t sound good.
“They think they saw episode bosses like Hertia and Caligo. The photo’s blurry, so it’s just speculation. Many say it could be fake.”
Insu spoke without looking at me, head down, picking at his food with his chopsticks. His thoughts were clearly written on his face.
“Insu, if you have something to say, just say it.”
Finally, he put down his chopsticks.
“Hyung! I was going crazy curious about this!”
Haha, finally like a high school senior.
“Alright, what do you want to know?”
“Those episode villains… are they all your summons?”
I wrapped some rice with a bit of kim and nodded as I chewed.
“Yes.”
“Whoa! No way! Seriously?!”
Insu jumped from his seat, scratching his head wildly.
“That’s possible? How? Did you summon them? Or another way!?”
“I haven’t eaten anything for two days. First, eat.”
“Oh, right.”
During the meal, Insu fidgeted nervously. He had a mountain of questions. Once we finished, we were about to have a proper conversation.
Buzz!
Insu’s phone rang.
“Hyung! Wait! It’s Director Son.”
“Yeah, pick up.”
He politely answered, then looked at me with a sullen expression.
“You’re awake.”
He handed the phone to me.
-
“Hyunwoo! You’re awake! We were shocked when we heard!”
“Sorry for worrying you.”
-
“It’s good you’re awake. Are you okay?”
“Yes, thanks. What is it?”
-
“We have a meeting request. From the Tower of Records… Director Jeon Myung-il.”
“Director Jeon Myung-il…”
-
“Yes. He wants to meet today if possible.”
I had a rough idea why. It was probably about the Karmar incident, and the suspected seven sins summons, investigating any connection with me. Good. I was planning to visit anyway.
“Meet him. Tell him I’ll come right away.”
-
“We’ll send a car to your house immediately.”
“No, I’ll go to the Tower of Records myself.”
As I hung up, Insu dashed excitedly.
“Wait, you’re going now? I wanted to hear some stories first!”
“I’ll tell you after I return.”
“Really?! You better not change your story afterward!”
“I won’t, man!”
“Yes!”
His curiosity about summons was that high. He was destined for greatness.
‘…But he can’t hide his expressions.’
Even in PvP, that matters.
The Tower of Records – Director’s office.
Jeon Myung-il reviewed the report in front of him over and over, sweating at his fingertips.
“Team leader, this is certain, right?”
“Yes. The energy released was as strong as a Dungeon Break, and we confirmed responses from multiple adventurers and summons at the clearing. Episode villains including Hertia also showed summon responses.”
Team leader Lee Jeong-yul had been monitoring the area after visiting the clearing. Around 10 p.m., an abnormal response was detected—energy similar to a Dungeon Break suddenly emanated. They reported this to Jeon and began surveillance. Two conclusions emerged:
-
There exists a completely new type of Dungeon Break, not in the system.
-
The villains that appeared are someone’s summons.
And the one most likely responsible:
‘Oh Hyunwoo.’
Jeon Myung-il repeated the name to himself.
“Hertia, and now other villains…”
He sighed quietly. At first, he’d been happy a talented adventurer appeared. As he became active, Jeon worried about foreign interference and persuasion. When he suspected the adventurer might control villains, it became dangerous yet necessary to capture him. If these disastrous villains increased to two, three, or maybe seven—
“This might be the last chance to control the adventurer Oh Hyunwoo, the potential leader of villains who could shake the world.”
“…Eliminate the threat, or… ride it.”
This was a matter of the nation’s future. He bowed his head in thought. Then spoke quietly:
“My choice is…”
“Support him.”
“…What?”
“I promised full support.”
‘…He calls me here and immediately says this?’
I wanted to say that, but I immediately understood the situation. This was the Tower of Records. Jeon Myung-il requested this meeting, and the topic was clear.
‘It’s sudden, but good.’
I thought it was fine the discussion moved quickly.
“You’re in a hurry, Director. I thought we’d probe each other first.”
“I didn’t think you’d like that process, Oh Hyunwoo. We’re not in a position to do that either.”
Perfect humility. With this treatment, there was no need to mince words.
“You have questions, I presume?”
“Yes. Team leader, the data, please.”
“Yes.”
Lee Jeong-yul carefully handed over sealed documents labeled Tower of Records – Energy Response Chart.
“You know about the massive energy release at the Seoul outskirts recently?”
“Yes, I saw it in the news.”
“There, boss-level entities’ responses were detected—more than three cases. All showed summon responses.”
“And?”
“We believe these summons, these villains, belong to you, Oh Hyunwoo.”
I knew a day like this would come. I had prepared long ago.
For a moment, the room felt heavy. Jeon and Lee instinctively tensed. I smiled brightly as usual, but my demeanor was different—confidence, preparedness, and awareness of their information.
“And yet, you promised full support despite that.”
At those words, Jeon opened his eyes. He had to display every ounce of trust and willingness to cooperate.
“That’s right. There will be no disadvantage to you. We want to protect you at a guild level. However… we need proof that our suspicions aren’t baseless.”
I nodded and exhaled.
“Yes. That’s right.”
“…So those three…”
“Yes. All my summons.”
“Of course…!”
“But those three are not all of them.”
The room seemed to freeze. Lee’s hand paused; Jeon’s eyes wavered.
“…What?”
His voice trembled. He asked for confirmation, and the answer was a bomb.
“Even beyond the ones we identified… there are more?”
I nodded lightly, smiling.
“Yes. Now, how should I cooperate with the guild?”
I was relaxed. The choice was mine. I had run to this moment to ensure no one could refuse me. Finally, it was time to reap the results of that effort. Jeon muttered internally:
‘…South Korea is already on this adventurer’s back. There’s no getting off now.’
He steeled his mind. Oh Hyunwoo—a talent that must be protected.
“We’ll prepare the cooperation plan and deliver it soon.”
He resolved to keep all information about me strictly confidential, using all resources at his disposal.
‘Even if diplomatic issues arise, it doesn’t matter. Their words are worthless now.’
He planned to replace the entire staff soon anyway.
‘My political life—no, this nation’s future. Oh Hyunwoo, I entrust it to you.’
